So Far Away
by SynObsession
Summary: A mysterious new girl shows up at Huntington Beach High. But there are rumors that she's a murderer. What will Brian do when he finds out the truth...? Avenged Sevenfold Syn Gates Songfic. So Far Away. SG/OC
1. Chapter 1: Who are you?

Disclaimer: I do not own Avenged Sevenfold or their girlfriends (Val, Leana) or releatives that are mentioned in this story. The only stories that are mine are: Nikki, her parents, Dannyy, Chloe, and Emily. Any events that occur in this story are make believe and have no relation to any real events that might have happened.

Authors Note: I know that Brian (Synyster Gates) did not attend Huntington Beach High School, but because this story is make believe he attends HBHS.

**So Far Away**

"**I tried to heal your broken heart with all that I could."**

Brian thought it was just going to be one of those normal, boring days like it always was. But to his surprise, he walked through the gate of Huntington Beach High School and found himself lost in a crowd of people. They were all whispering to each other but he couldn't hear what they were saying. It all sounded like static, and the only word he caught were "new girl," "expelled," and "murderer." The first two phrases fit together okay because it was normal for new people to transfer here after being expelled from their old school, but murderer, why would that be associated with a newcomer? Brian blocked out the whispering as he pushed through the crowd to get to his locker. When he finally made it out, he spun the combination lock and pulled his locker open.

The metal door flew open since he pulled it with all his might. The creaking of his locker was followed by a loud _thunk_.

"Ow, watch what you're doing!" said a girl's voice from the same direction the _thunk_ came from.

Brian closed his locker slightly to see who he had hit. It was a scene girl, a senior just like him, with choppy black hair, heavy black eyeliner around her bright blue eyes, snakebite piercings, and dressed in all black. She glared at him as she rubbed her forehead where she's just been hit by Brian's locker door.

"Who the hell are you?" Brian asked emotionlessly.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" she mumbled.

He stared down at her before it finally occurred to him who she was.

"Wait; are you the new girl that everyone's talking about?" His tone wasn't as harsh as it was before but she continued to glare at him.

"Maybe…"

A hand came down on Brian's shoulder. He looked back to see his two best friends, Matt and Jimmy.

"Morning, Gates," Matt said and then paused realizing he'd just interrupted Brian's conversation. "Ah, this must be the new girl. Hi, I'm Matt, or M. Shadows. This is my good friend, Jimmy, or the Rev. And this guy who's probably been giving you trouble is Brian, better known as Synyster Gates."

"Oh, um, I'm Nikki, and yeah, as _captain obvious_ over there asked," she said, still glaring at Brian, "I'm new here."

"Let me see your schedule," Matt asked.

She dug through her pockets and pulled out a paper. She handed him a folded piece of paper. He examined it for a few seconds and then let out a small chuckle.

"What's wrong with it?" she asked sounding a little worried.

"Nothing's wrong, you just happen to have the exact same schedule as Brian…" Matt said quickly.

Nikki groaned. "You mean I'm stuck with the idiot that hit me with his locker all day long?" she said annoyed.

Jimmy laughed, "Consider yourself lucky you didn't get stuck with either of us. We could make your days a living hell, but Gates won't. He's too nice once you get to know him." Jimmy stood up straight so that he was towering over Nikki. He gave her a friendly smile and then added, "Bri's a big softy!"

She rolled her eyes after glancing at Brian who was glaring at Jimmy.

Matt continued where Jimmy left off, "Stick with Bri and no one will mess with you, I guaranty. And I'm sure he'd be happy to help you find your classes so you don't get lost. Right, Gates?"

Brian let out a sigh and mumbled, "Yeah, whatever…"

Nikki jumped at the sound of the ear piercing bell and noticed how the guys were not fazed by it. That's gonna take some time to get used to, she thought.

Matt and Jimmy walked away leaving Nikki and Brian alone. Brian slammed his locker shut and gestured for Nikki to follow him.

"To English, we go!" he said with fake enthusiasm.

Their English classroom was on the complete opposite side of the school. They walked slowly knowing that they wouldn't be in trouble if they were late since they could use the excuse of Nikki being new.

"I don't get it," Nikki said, breaking the silence, "Why do you guys use those stupid nicknames?"

Brian laughed, "Well, you see, we're in a band called Avenged Sevenfold and those are our stage names."

Nikki thought for a moment, "I've heard of you guys, I think…"

"Not many people have, we're just starting out and we've only played a few shows, but they were really small."

Brian would have kept talking but Nikki cut him off. "They aren't that small, I went to one a few months ago…"

Brian stopped walking suddenly. "Wait- what? You've actually been to our show?" The cross between excited and freaked out expression on his face amused Nikki.

"Yeah, I went with one of my friends. Some guy we used to hang around with told us about you guys. So we went and it was great," she said.

Brian fell silent, not knowing what to say. They were almost to English but Brian had one last question to ask but he wasn't sure how to ask.

"I know this is completely off topic but…" he paused trying to find the right words, "Um, what did you get expelled for?"

"Who ever said I got expelled?" she said quickly.

"I heard someone say it while I was walking in…"

"Then it's none of your business." She looked away from him.

"I guess I'll assume the worst," Brian mumbled in hopes to get her to tell him.

"Go ahead and assume the worst because it is the worst…" Nikki wiped a single tear from her cheek.

Brian was silent and deep in thought. Did she really kill someone? Those rumors were true? But if she was a murderer, she wouldn't be here right now, right? She did say to assume the worst. Isn't this the worst? These were all the questions running through his head.

His trace was broken by someone grabbing his hand. He looked up from the ground to see a teacher standing right in front of him and Nikki tugging on his hand trying to pull him away from the teacher.

"Get to class, Mr. Haner!" the teacher said sternly.

Brian went the way Nikki was pulling him.

"I think we missed the classroom."

She continued to pull him back down the hall as she read the room numbers under her breath.

"D-4." She turned the doorknob and dragged Brian in behind her.

"It's about time, Miss Evans," the teacher said, not even looking up from the book in her hands, "Being late on your first day isn't leaving a good first impression on me."

"I got lost so Brian helped me," Nikki lied.

"You may take your seat Mr. Haner," the teacher said, sounding a bit angry.

Nikki finally realized she was still holding Brian's hand and quickly let go. He gave her a wink before he turn to go to his seat.

The teacher sighed, "It seems that the only open seat is in the back next to Mr. Haner, so please take your seat Miss Evans."

Nikki made her way down through the row of desk. Everyone moved their backpacks out of the way, except for one girl. Nikki didn't notice the backpack that was slipped in front of her and tripped on it. Brian happened to catch her just in time before she could fall face first into the floor. He pulled her up by the hood of her jacket. Brian glared at the girl who tripped Nikki. She glanced at him, regret and fear flashed across her face, and she quickly looked back down at her desk.

Nikki took her seat and started scrawling on a piece of paper. She folded it up into a little triangle and flicked it over to Brian's desk.

Brian unfolded it.

_I thought Matt said no one would mess with me if I was with you…_

He pulled out a pen and wrote under it.

**Well, he's right. I doubt she'll ever mess with you again.**

They tossed the note back and forth.

_And why is it that people are so afraid of you?_

**I'll tell you if you tell me why you got expelled.**

_Looks like I'm not going to find out anytime soon… Why do you want to know so badly?_

**Because… By saying it what you did is the "worst", it's practically inviting me to be curious.**

He tossed it back to Nikki's desk. Nikki read it and then crumpled it up and stuffed it in her pocket.

Brian chuckled to himself. Nikki pulled out a fresh paper and scrawled a message for him. She folded it into a star and tossed it across to Brian. He struggled to unfold it, like trying to untie a knot. It took him a little bit and finally got it open.

_What're you laughing at?_

**Your forehead, there's still a red mark from my locker door.**

Nikki blushed and touched her forehead. She rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a small mirror. Brian continued to laugh at her as she examined the red line on her forehead. She glanced at him, he gave her an apologetic smile but she rolled her eyes at it.

"Mr. Haner," the teacher shouted, "If you don't mind, tell the whole class what you find so funny you had to interrupt my lecture. I'm sure we all could use a laugh."

Brian stood up, a serious look coming across his face. "I just noticed that your wig is lope-sided today and about to fall off. Someone needed to tell you, didn't they? I mean we wouldn't want you walking around all day like that, would we?" He smirked as the teacher tugged on her wig in an attempt to readjust it. The class burst out in laughter.

The teacher turned away, "Thank you for the observation, Mr. Haner, but please, next time, don't say it to the whole class."

The bell rang signaling the end of first period.

They went through the rest of the day avoiding trouble but still having fun. It just so happened that the desk next to Brian was empty in every class, so Nikki ended up sitting next to him and passing notes in every class. Well, everything was fine until lunch…

Nikki and Brian sat down on the grass, avoiding the whispering crowds in the quad. Hands came down on their shoulders and it was none other than Matt and Jimmy.

"How are our two lovers doing?" Jimmy asked, sitting down beside Brian.

"Ah, shut up, Jim!" Brian said annoyed. Brian examined Matt's confused face. "What's up, Matt?"

Matt looked around at the crowd in the quad. "Me and Jim got stuck in that crowd and we kept hearing people say some stupid rumor about someone being a murder. We were wondering if you guys had heard anything about it."

Nikki squirmed nervously.

"Nah, we haven't heard anything…" Brian answered quickly.

Nikki jumped to her feet. "I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be right back." She walked away toward the large crowd.

Brian stood up once she was out of ear shot.

"Where are you going, Gates?" Matt called after him.

Brian glanced back at him, "I've got a bad feeling about letting her go anywhere alone, Shads…"

Matt sighed.

"He does have a point though; new people aren't liked very much," Matt said laying back and starring up at the sky, "But don't you think she was acting strange a minute ago?"

"Don't most girls act strange when they have to go to the bathroom?" Jim asked laughing.

Matt laughed along with him. "Okay, you right but still… Brian seems really worried about her…"

Jimmy stood up. "Bri's really into this girl, I mean it's like she's perfect for him. They went from absolutely hating each other to good friends in a few hours. That's gotta be a good sign."

"Whatever you say, Rev…"

Brian stayed 50 feet away from Nikki and she hadn't noticed him following her. To his surprise, she really was heading toward the bathroom. A couple turned the corner and headed in the same direction as Nikki. Brian stopped and watched from a distance.

The couple was a typical high school couple, a football jock and a cheerleader. The cheerleader girl was the first to speak. "Hey, you're that new girl, right?" she asked, her voice shrill and annoying. She didn't bother to wait for an answer and continued, "Is it true that you killed someone? That's what everyone's talking about!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Nikki rolled her eyes.

The girl smiled. "It's a simple question. Is… It… True… You… Killed… Someone…?"

"I never killed anyone… What a stupid question!" Nikki said calmly.

"I smell a lie!" the girl sang. She snapped her fingers and the jock stepped forward. "She's lying to me, baby! Can't you do something about it?" she whined.

Her jock boyfriend stepped forward and cracked his knuckles. Nikki didn't see it at coming at all. The guy was standing in front of her one moment and then the next moment she'd fallen on her butt and blood was dripping from her lip. Brian stood in front of her and threw a quick but powerful punch at the jock. A loud crack broke the silence. The guy staggered back holding on to his jaw. The cheerleader cried and clung to him. Brian ignored them and helped Nikki to her feet.

Brian turned back to the jock and said, "There's gotta be something fucking wrong with you to hit a girl! Just get the hell outta my sight!"

The couple scurried off away from Nikki and Brian.

"Let me see," he said softly. He lifted Nikki's chin with a single finger. He examined the split in her lip that was next to her left snakebite. She stared deeply into his eyes as he examined her lip. His eyes moved from her lip to her electrifying blue eyes. A glint of déjà vu flashed through her eyes. Brian moved closer to her until their lips touched. She pulled back after a second. She giggled as she wiped the blood off of his lips.

He smiled. "I guess that's a sign that you're okay?"

They heard laughing from behind them. Brian looked around and saw Matt and Jimmy. They were whispering to each other.

Nikki took a step back and folded over laughed. She laughed until she cried.

"What's so funny," Brian asked as she wiped away the black tears.

Nikki stood up straight, suppressing her laughing fit. Her smile faded as she said softly, "I have no idea…"

Jimmy and Matt stopped whispering.

Jimmy stepped forward. He smiled slyly. "We have a plan!"

"It's Jimmy's plan, I had nothing to do with it," Matt added.

"Fine, that just mean's I get all the credit when it works out," Jimmy smirked. "It benefits both of you, I swear!"

Brian's eyebrow twitched. "Just spit it out already, Jim."

Jimmy laughed. "So… What if you guys pretended to go out? I mean, it would keep people like that away from Nikki, and then you wouldn't have to worry about her so much because everyone would know if they mess with her, they mess with you… Hell, to make it even better, you guys could go out for real!"

Nikki's eyes widened as a smirk came across Brian's face.

"Hell no…" Nikki said slowly.

"Ah, come on Nikki!" Jimmy pleaded, "It's for your own protection; I mean, we wouldn't want that to happen to you again." Jim pointed at her split lip.

Nikki glanced at Brian; he was staring off into space. She thought about it, weighing the pros and cons. She did like Brian; he seemed like a really great guy, but what if he wasn't. People aren't always what they seem. She'd just met him, but he'd already stood up for her, they passed notes all day, and she had every class with him. What harm could "pretending" to go out with him do?

"So?" Jimmy asked, waiting for an answer.

"Fine…" Nikki said.

"I'd love to." Brian winked at her and held out his hand. She took it and they're fingers entwined with each other.

The ear-piecing bells rang and they headed to class.

Nikki had lost Brian in the crowd. Because school had just ended, everyone had gathered in the quad saying their goodbyes and heading home. She felt like she was going in circles, everywhere she turned there were more people and no sign of Brian. Suddenly, a hand wrapped around her waist. She looked over her shoulder. She let out a sigh of relief that it was Brian. He led her out of the crowd.

"Is it like this every day?" she asked, looking back at the crowd.

Brian nodded.

She looked up at him. "I guess I should go…"

She headed for the gate and Brian followed her.

"Did you drive here?" Brian asked.

"No, I walked," she said, "But I live like a few blocks away, it's not too far. I better be going, Brian."

She'd only made it a few steps away from him before he caught her by the arm and pulled her into a hug.

"I'll take you home," he said, and then added, "Remember we're supposed to be 'going out'."

He led her through the parking lot and stopped in front of a sleek black Mustang. He fumbled through his pockets and pulled out keys. He jumped into the driver's seat as she did the passenger's seat. He turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. He sped out of the parking lot and on to the main road. Nikki gave him directions to her house, which as she had said was only a few blocks away. He pulled on to the street to which her house was on.

"It's that-" She was about to point out her house but Brian put his hand up to stop her.

"Let me guess," he smiled. He pulled up to the house he thought was hers.

"How'd you know?" she asked, shock covering her face.

"I'm a psychic, of course!" He winked.

"Oh come on, _Synnie_! Won't you tell me?" she whined, and elbowed him.

"Synnie? What kinda name is that?" he mumbled, "But anyway, some new neighbors moved in across the street from me last week… I live across the street."

He pulled into the drive way across from her house. He took the keys out of the ignition and shoved them in his pocket. He jumped out of the car and ran to the other side to open the door for Nikki. She raised an eyebrow under her black bangs.

"I'm your boyfriend, remember?" He gave her the biggest smile she'd seen in a while.

She took his out-stretched hand and reached for her backpack. He picked it up before she could. He threw it over his shoulder.

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. You are my boyfriend, aren't you?" she said sarcastically.

A shrill squeal came from behind them.

Nikki whipped around as Brian let out an annoyed groan.

"Brian's got a girlfriend! I can't wait to tell Kenna!" the little girl sang. She danced around in circles making her pig tails bounce up and down.

"Ah, shut up, Emily. Shouldn't you be doing your homework or something," he said, walking away from the girl but still holding Nikki's hand.

"Well, my parents are going out tonight, so they asked your dad if you could babysit me," she said as she skipped to catch up with them.

"Okay, whatever. Just go inside and I'll be back in a little bit." He waved her away and she ran back to his house.

"Who was that?" Nikki asked, looking back at the little girl.

"That's my 6 year old neighbor, Emily, who I'm force to babysit a lot because she's my little sister's friend. But she's really annoying!"

Nikki laughed but then realized that girl was her neighbor too. They crossed the street but then stopped in Nikki's drive way. Brian wrapped his arms around her waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I know this 'going out' thing was just supposed to be an act," he whispered in her ear, "And I know we just met and all, but I really like you…"

"I really like you, too, Brian," she whispered back. His lips came down one hers but she pulled back after a few seconds.

She smiled shyly at him. "Sorry, my lip still hurts from earlier."

Brian let out an embarrassed laugh. "Oh, yeah, I forgot… Sorry, I was… um… caught up in the moment."

Brian let go of her and she took a few steps toward the house. He followed but she put a hand out to stop him.

"Um, I don't think you want to meet my parents…" she explained.

"Don't you think your parents would want to meet your boyfriend?" Brian smirked.

She laughed, "No." And then she added, "Not yet."

Brian sighed and pulled her in for one last short kiss. "Fine, and by the way, I'll pick you up tomorrow so you don't have to walk to school."

She waited there for a few second until he finally realized that he still had her backpack. He pulled it off his shoulder and handed it to her.

She smiled at him, "I'll text you later, I guess, and if you need any help babysitting then give me a call."

"Bye!" He winked at her before he turned around and walked back across the street.

Nikki slowly made her way to the door and lethargically turned the door knob knowing the moment she walk through the door she'd be interrogated by her parents about her first day. She threw her backpack down next to the coat rack and peeked around the corner. Both of her parents sat on the couch anticipating her arrival.

"Sit down, honey! We want to hear about your day!" her mother called.

Nikki let out an annoyed sigh as she sat down on the couch across from her parents.

"Oh my, what happened to you? Did someone hit you?" her mother asked practically jumping out of her seat to go examine Nikki's lip. Nikki pulled her face out of her mother's grasp.

"It was some guy, his girlfriend told him I was lying to her and he kinda punched me for her... that's all."

"Was it that boy that you were with right now?" her father said angrily.

Nikki rolled her eyes. "_That_ guy I was with was the guy that defended me all day. He even broke the jaw of the guy that hit me. _That_ guy is one of my only friends and one of the few people that doesn't believe the rumors going around about me!" She paused. "And besides, isn't going to this school a punishment? So why do you care if someone hit me? Isn't that part of the punishment? And the rumors, too!"

Her mother sighed. "Yes, going to this school is a punishment but we didn't think you'd get hurt. But what are the rumors about you?"

"Nothing… Never mind!" She stormed off to her room upstairs, falling face first into her bed and pulling her cell phone out of her pocket. She dialed the first number she could think of. It rang a few times until someone finally answered.

"Omigod! Nikki! I haven't talked to you in forever!" the girl screamed into the phone, "Today was your first day at Huntington Beach High, right? How was it? Did you make any new friends? They better not replace me! Did you meet any hot guys? Do you have a new crush? How about a new boyfriend?"

The girl spoke so fast Nikki could barely understand her. "Slow it down a little, Dannyy."

"Ah, come on, Nick, I wanna hear all about it!" Dannyy whined.

Nikki took a deep breath. "Well, my day started out by getting hit in the head with a locker door by a really hot guy. Do you remember when you dragged me to that Avenged Sevenfold concert? He's the lead guitarist for them. And we hated each other at first but now we're friends. And then the drummer and the singer are friends of mine too. And their kinda the only three people I talked to. I got tripped in my first class- people don't really like me very much- but Brian caught me before I fell. And then at lunch, I was gonna go to the bathroom, but some bitch sent her jock boyfriend after me and he punched me, but then Brian was there to defend me again. Jimmy and Matt showed up and Jim suggested that me and Brian pretend to 'go out' so that people would leave me alone. And then Brian gave me a ride home- it just so happens that he live across the street from me- and then he asked me out for real… So… um, yeah… I guess I do have a boyfriend…"

Dannyy squealed, "Omigod! He's hot, right? What does he look like? I can't remember."

Nikki pictured him in her head. "He's way taller than me, but I am kinda short. He had chocolate brown eyes and dark spiky hair. And he's kinda buff and really hot!"

"Oh, yeah I remember him now! He was hot! Take a picture for me! Wait, you said you got punched, right? Are you okay?" she said sounding worried.

"I got a split lip, that's all. I'm fine. Brian broke the guy's jaw for me." Nikki smiled, recalling the moment. "So, how's the squad doing without me, Dan?"

Dannyy sighed. "I'm captain now, but no one listens to me… It's terrible without you. We have a competion coming up, but everyone's so unorganized it's obvious we're going to lose… Oh and Cameron wanted to me to tell you he misses you and he still loves you."

Nikki laughed. "Then can you give him a simple message for me: Fuck off!"

Dannyy giggled. "Of course, Nick!"

"Get down here, Danielle!" Dannyy's mother yelled.

"Oh, shit! I have to go! I talk to you later! Bye, Nikki! And good luck with Brian! Love you!" Dannyy hung up before Nikki got a chance to say goodbye.

Nikki dropped her phone and rolled over so that she was staring at the ceiling. It had been a long day, and sleep seemed like the best solution.


	2. Chapter 2: CIF

Nikki searched for the off button on her beeping alarm clock. After finally finding it, she turned on the lights and dug through her closet. She pulled out a pair of black, torn jeans, a blue tank top, and a black hoodie. She put on her clothes and headed toward the bathroom. She quickly put on her makeup, including the black eyeliner, while her straightener heated up. She quickly straightened her hair and ran downstairs. The door bell rang as she grabbed her backpack and was about to open the door. She looked through the glass and saw Brian giving her a small wave. She unlocked the door and opened it.

"Mom, I'm leaving!" Nikki called before taking Brian's hand and walking out the door.

Brian drove faster today than he had yesterday. They came to a sudden stop when the light changed quickly to red. A black SUV stopped next to them. The window rolled down and Matt and Jimmy waved. Nikki rolled down her window, too, and waved.

"How are our two lovers doing?" Jimmy said leaning forward so he could see past Matt, who was driving.

"Ah, shut up, Jim!" Brian said, giving Jimmy the same answer he did yesterday.

The light flashed to green and Nikki and Brian sped past them.

"See you at school!" she yelled back to them. She quickly rolled up her window before the wind could mess up her hair.

They beat Matt and Jimmy by a mile due to them getting stopped by a stop light that Brian had just barely made it through in time. Brian took the first parking spot he came to. Nikki jumped out of the car and jumping up and down, laughing at Jimmy.

"Since when are little scene girls so happy?" Brian asked the over-excited Nikki.

Nikki crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm a scene, not an emo. Scene's can be happy. And, for the record, I'm not little, Jimmy's just freakishly tall!"

Jimmy let out a husky laugh, "What was that you said, short shit?"

Nikki took off running, knowing that Jim was going to chase her, but within seconds his long strides had caught up to her. He picked her up and threw her on his shoulder. He walked back to Matt and Brian as she kicked her legs and pleaded, "Ah, come on, Jim, this is embarrassing and uncomfortable! Please put me down!"

Jimmy just laughed, "Nope, you shoulda thought twice before calling me freakishly tall… maybe you're just freakishly short!"

Nikki shot puppy-dog eyes in Brian's direction. Brian got the hint. "Let her down, man," Brian said, "It looks like you're hurting her."

Jimmy gently lowered her to her feet. Jim smirked. "You're lucky Syn's a nice guy, pipsqueak."

Nikki stuck her tongue out at Jim as she hid behind Brian. Matt simply shook his head.

Matt put his hand on Brian's shoulder and said, "It looks like we're dealing with two 5 year olds, Gates."

Nikki and Jimmy turned around and said in unison, "Don't call me a 5 year old! You guys are just aren't any fun!"

Matt and Brian laughed at them.

"Damn, where's Zack? He'd love this!" Matt said looking around.

"I'm right here, Shads!" a guy called from behind Matt.

Matt spun around to see Zack.

"I'm gone for one day and Jimmy's already found someone to mess with. Who the hell is this anyway?" Zack asked after saying hi to Brian.

"I'm Nikki Evans-"

Jimmy cut her off. "She's new here, came yesterday, and she's Brian's girlfriend."

"Holy shit," Zack said slowly, emphasizing each syllable, "I'm freaking gone for _one_ day, and Brian got a girlfriend. God damn, I'm never ditching again!"

"You missed everything, Vengeance!" Matt said.

"Yeah, Nikki even got in a fight!" Jimmy chimed in. "Speaking of which, your lip looks a lot better today, pipsqueak."

"Thanks, Jim," she muttered.

"I swear, it's just because I ditched," Zack mumbled.

"Um, Bri, who is this?" Nikki whispered.

"Introduce yourself, Zack," Brian commanded.

"Hey, I'm Zack Baker, they call me Zacky Vengeance, though. I play rhythm guitar for Avenged Sevenfold," he said, leaning against Matt's SUV, and then added, "Your boyfriend plays lead."

The bell echoed through the parking lot. Nikki grabbed Brian's hand and took off running. She waved goodbye to them knowing that they'd understand because the English classroom was on the opposite side of the campus. They slowed down to walking speed.

Nikki smiled, "We can be late; I just wanted to get you alone."

Brian let out a soft sigh and pulled her closer. "Hmm, there're so many questions I want to ask but I don't know where to start…" Brian whispered.

"Then pick one and you might get an answer," she said softly.

Brian opened his mouth to ask a question but Nikki answered before he could say anything. "Laguna Beach High School, that's where I transferred from... That was you first question, wasn't it?"

"Yeah actually it was, but do you play any sports?" he asked.

"No, but I was the cheerleader captain this year," she said, laughing at his shocked expression.

"A cheerleader? I just can't see it," he paused, trying to picture her as one, "I doubt you looked like this when you were one…" he added, "But I like you just the way you are!"

Nikki was hesitant about answering, "I was a blond, no piercings or eyeliner. I dyed my hair black after I got expelled."

Brian shifted a little, nervous about asking the next question, "Umm, why… did you get expelled?"

Nikki pulled away from him, "There's a time and place for this question, Brian. And this isn't that time or place, honey."

Brian wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "I'm sorry… I know it wasn't my place to ask…"

"Don't worry about it, I'll tell you when the time is right… But I doubt you'll even want to speak to me ever again after I do," she said, placing her hands on his.

He let a soft smile form across his lips, "I could never not talk to you, no matter what you say."

"Ah, Synnie!" she said softly as she kissed his cheek, "But, it's still a no."

"Time for class?" Brian asked.

Nikki looked thoughtful. "I guess… My parents would kill me if I ditched; I'm already in enough trouble."

"Are you grounded or something?"

"Not quite, my parents sent me to this school as a punishment. They knew I wouldn't fit in and people wouldn't be very _friendly_. So they figured this would be the perfect place to send me," she said as they started to head in the direction of English class.

Brian fell silent not knowing what to say.

"But… You, Matt, and Jim were very welcoming! Well, you weren't at first but now you are!" she added.

Brian said nothing and just smiled.

Class started and the rest of the day was normal.

"Hey! Brian, Nikki, get over here!" Matt called to the couple.

Nikki and Brian made their way toward Matt, Jimmy, and Zack.

"What's up, Shads?" Brian asked.

"It's Friday, right?" Matt asked, but didn't wait for an answer, "Tonight's the CIF game, remember? Huntington Beach verses Laguna Beach; it's supposed to be a good game. You guys going?"

Brian looked down at Nikki, who was biting her snakebite. He nudged her to get attention.

"Oh, um, yeah, we're going…" Nikki said slowly.

"Yes, pipsqueak's going!" Jimmy yelled as he picked up Nikki and spun her around.

"God damn it, Jimmy, put me down!" she screamed.

"Hey, Gates, catch!" Jim said as he, literally, tossed Nikki at him. Brian was talking to Matt at the time and jumped at the sound of Jimmy's voice. Brian caught her just in time.

"What the hell, Jim! Give me more of a warning next time! You could've hurt her!" Brian scolded, still holding Nikki in his arms.

Jimmy just shrugged and walked away.

"See ya, tonight," Matt said before taking a step in the opposite direction.

"Wait, Matt!" Nikki dug through her pocket and tossed him her phone, "Take a picture for me. My best friend wanted a pic of us."

Brian held her bridal style with his signature smirk on his face, the smirk that practically said 'I am so much better than you!". She smiled and kicked one of her legs up. Matt took the picture and handed her phone back. Brian gently lowered Nikki to the floor.

Matt turned to leave.

"Bye, and thanks!" Nikki said.

Matt simply waved, not bothering to turn back around to face them.

"Time to go," Brian said, taking her hand and leading her toward the car.

Nikki jump in the passenger seat as the engine roared to life.

"Matt wouldn't have been mad if you said no to going tonight," he said and then added, "I mean, since it's your old school and all…"

"Hmm?" she said, not really paying attention. Instead, changing the wallpaper on her phone to her new picture and sending the picture to Dannyy.

"Are you even listening?" he asked.

She looked up from her phone. "Yeah, I heard. But I kinda wanna go because my best friend told me the squad was falling apart so I want to see for myself."

"Oh," was all Brian said.

The drive today seem so much faster than the drive this morning. They were stopped in front of Nikki's house within minutes.

"Pick you up at 6:30?" he asked as she got out and pick up her backpack.

"Yeah," she said and turned toward the door.

The doorbell rang and Nikki raced to answer it but her father beat her to it since she came from upstairs. He slowly opened the door and stared at Brian who stood outside.

"Who are you?" Nikki's father said in a booming deep voice.

Brian hesitated, somewhat intimidated by her father. "Uh, hi, I'm Nikki's boyfriend, Brian Haner… I was going to take her to the CIF game tonight," he said slowly. Brian held out his hand waiting for her father to shake it. He looked up into the father's eyes and, finally, her father gave him a hearty shake.

Nikki stood nervously behind her father and waited for him to say something.

"You passed the test," he said.

Brian looked confused but didn't break the stare. "What test?"

Her father ignored the question, and, instead, looked past Brian at the black Mustang in the driveway. Nikki's father turned around to look at her and forcefully asked, "Why didn't you say you had a new boyfriend?"

Nikki stared at the ground, not meeting her father's dagger stare. "You never asked and I thought you saw us yesterday," she whispered.

"Nicole Marie Evans, look at me when I talk to you!" he said in his big booming voice.

"Yes, daddy," she said on the verge of tears. She looked up at him.

"So, why didn't you tell us you had a new boy friend?" he almost shouted.

"You never asked," she said, backing up and clutching the wall for support.

Brian stood awkwardly, staring at the ground and trying to pretend that he wasn't there.

"You're not supposed to have a boyfriend; it's part of you punishment."

"B-but yesterday you said that going to this school was the punishment!" Nikki screamed, "Isn't that enough? I only have 4 friends! People hate me so much they _hit_ me! Isn't that enough? You knew this would happen, didn't you?"

"You better not be talking back to me, young lady!" Nikki's father yelled back.

Nikki's mother came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder and calmly said, "Don't, honey, Nikki's right. Going to this school is enough of a punishment. And, besides, you did say that Brian passed the test." And then she said to Nikki, "Go ahead and go to the game. I'll handle this. Have fun!"

Nikki grabbed her purse off the stairs and ran outside, slamming the door behind her.

She let out a sigh of relief as she jumped into Brian black Mustang.

"Sorry, you had to see that," she said, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes.

"Is it always like that?" Brian asked nervously.

Nikki glanced at him before answering. "They never used to do this before, but after I got expelled my dad starting acting weird and doing this kind of thing pretty often."

"Oh…" He went silent, focusing on the road. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel waiting for the light to change. She nervously shifted in her seat and picked at her black finger nail polish.

After a few minutes of silence, Nikki pulled out her phone to text Dannyy, and tell her she was coming to the game, but she stopped and stared at her background, the picture of her and Brian that Matt had taken earlier. They both looked so happy in that picture and that was only a few hours ago; but look at them now, both silent and pissed off, not at each other, though. It seemed like the drive took ten times longer than it had the past two days, maybe it was because of the silence, but it was felt like an hour had gone by.

They finally pulled into the school parking lot and Brian took the first parking spot he could since the place was packed. They both got out of the car and walked toward the stadium. Nikki came to a sudden stop at the gate. She stared at the field, the game had already started, and the cheerleaders were lined up on opposite sides of the field.

Brian put an arm around her. "We can leave right now if you want."

Nikki shrugged his arm off her, and, instead, hugged him and buried her face in his chest. "I want to but I can't… I wanna see Dannyy and my old squad, and my ex-boyfriend, Cameron, the quarterback. I wanna see what's happened to them; I know I haven't been gone for very long but still…"

"Just tell me when you want to leave and we'll leave," he whispered in her ear.

She stood on her toes and kissed Brian's cheek. "Thank you, Synnie!"

Brian took her hand and led her through the gates. Matt and Jimmy waved to them and they headed up to them at the top of the bleachers. Nikki sat down next to Matt and Brian sat down next to her.

"Yo, pipsqueak! We got some people for you to meet," Jimmy said as he pointed to the two girls next to them.

"This is Val, Matt's girlfriend," he said, and the thin blond girl next to Matt waved to Nikki.

"And this is my girlfriend, Leana." The small brunette waved.

Matt spoke up, "And this is Brian's girlfriend, Nikki." She smiled nervously at them and they smiled back.

Nikki practically fell out of her seat when the announcer said, "Look at that perfect pass by Cameron Taylor!"

"What's wrong?" Brian asked softly.

Nikki leaned against Brian and whispered, so that everyone else wouldn't hear, "That's my ex; hearing his name just surprised me."

She stared across the field at her old squad. She could spot Dannyy from that distance since she was the only brunette on the all-blond squad. Dannyy look really upset she was yelling orders at her squad but no one listened. It was exactly as she had said, the squad was a mess.

The announcer went on again, "And yet another beautiful pass by Cameron Taylor!"

Nikki let out a small groan at the sound of his name and buried her face in Brian's arm.

"You wanna go?" Brian asked as he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Yeah, I've seen enough," she sighed.

"Hey, Shads, we're gonna head out," Brian said and then added a convincing lie, "Nikki's not feeling too good."

"'Kay, Gates. See ya Monday," Matt said as Jimmy, Val, and Leana waved goodbye.

Brian helped Nikki to her feet. She took one last look at the field and the waved good bye to the group. They slowly made their way back to Brian's car. Nikki jumped into the passenger seat, eager to leave.

"So, do you want me to take you home or you can come over to my house and watch a movie with me?" he asked as he turned the key in the ignition and put his arm around her.

She let out a loud sigh as her answer.

Brian smiled. "Then it's decided, you're coming over to my house."

"Sorry, I made you leave early," she said softly.

"It's fine, I've never been a big fan of going to the games," he said as he glanced from the road to her.

There was a few seconds of awkward silence until Nikki spoke. "I never broke up with Cameron…"

Brian looked at her, confused because of her random statement.

She continued, "I got caught up in all the drama I never got a chance break up with him. I thought he would get the point that we were threw but he still thinks we're together…"

Brian stayed silent, not wanting to make the wrong move by saying something that he would regret.

"Dannyy passed a message to me from him. He says he misses me and he still loves me…"

Brian finally spoke, "And what did you say to that?"

Nikki shot a smile in his direction and said sweetly, "I told her to tell him to: Fuck off!"

Brian let out a soft laugh, "That's my girl!" He tousled her hair gently and she giggled.

He pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. They both got out of the car and headed for the front door. Brian unlocked the door and called through the house to see if anyone was home.

He found a handwritten note on the kitchen counter that read:

We went to the movies, and should be back around 11. ~Dad

Brian threw the paper back down on the counter and headed into a different room. Nikki followed him. He plopped down on the couch and she sat down next to him. As he reached for the remote, she snuggled into his chest. Brian turned down the TV volume and stroked her head. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It wasn't long before she had fallen asleep next to Brian.

It was past eleven and Nikki was still asleep next to Brian. Brian took hold of her shoulders and shook her gently. She stirred for a second mumbling, "But I didn't mean to, Chloe…"

He shook her again saying, "Wake up, Nikki, its late and I gotta take you home."

She mumbled again, "But it wasn't my fault…"

Brian gave up on trying to wake her up and, instead, picked her up, bridal style. He didn't realize it until now but she was almost as light as his little sister. He made his way through the house, and attempted to open the door with Nikki in his arms. He struggled for a minute until the door was opened from the other side. Mr. Haner looked at Brian and Nikki, while Brian explained, "This is Nikki, we got bored with the game so we came here and she fell asleep while we were watching TV. I'm gonna take her home right now."

Mr. Haner simply nodded, no questions asked, but Kenna giggled.

"Shush, Kenna," Mr. Haner whispered.

Brian moved pass his family and they entered the house. Nikki started talking in her sleep again, "Chloe, don't, I didn't mean to… You dropped me, what did you expect me to do… Chloe, don't, please don't… It was an accident, I didn't know you'd do that to yourself… You knew I had a bad temper, and you always ignore what I say. Why not then? Why'd you listen to me for once? I'm sorry… Please, Chloe… Don't do this to me…"

Nikki started shaking and hit her head against Brian's chest, but she was still asleep.

"Nikki," Brian whispered, "Nikki, wake up, it's just a nightmare."

She looked up at him and then closed her eyes again. Brian knocked on the front door of her house. He must've been lucky because it was Nikki's mother that answered and not her father.

"She fell asleep at my house while we were watching TV," he explained, yet again.

Mrs. Evans smiled and said, "If you don't mind, can you take her up to her room for me?"

Brian nodded, and Mrs. Evans added, "Go up the stairs and it's the room at the end of the hallway."

Brian did as she said going up the stairs, down the hallway, and into the last room he came to. Her room was practically empty, just an unmade bed, a dresser, and a few pairs of shoes and clothes lying on the white carpet. He gently lowered her on to her bed and tucked her in.

"G'night, baby," he whispered as he kissed her forehead.

She caught hold of his hand, and, still sleep-talking, said, "Tell Chloe I'm sorry…"

Brian laid in bed wondering what Nikki was dreaming about. Who was that 'Chloe' person she kept talking about? He never knew she had a bad temper, and what was the 'accident'? What was she so sorry about and when was she 'dropped'? It sounded like Nikki was talking nonsense but it all had to have meant something. Maybe that had something to do with the murder rumors… But he wanted to believe that those rumors were just lies. Nikki couldn't have killed someone.

Chloe… Chloe… Chloe… The first person that came to mind was Matt's younger sister, Chloe. No one had spoken of her for a month because they didn't want Matt to flip out on them. Chloe had been 'gone' for a month and her name was taboo around Matt. Brian had learned his lesson a few weeks ago and his black eye had finally faded out. But that Chloe couldn't be the Chloe in Nikki's dreams. Chloe was a year younger than Matt, and, for some reason that was never explained to Brian, she didn't go to Huntington Beach High School, she went to… he suddenly couldn't remember what school Chloe went to. He was almost sure she didn't go to Laguna, but where ever she went, she was a cheerleader there.

Chloe Sanders… It can't be her…


	3. Chapter 3: Unholy Confessions

The week went by slowly. Class after class after class, but it seemed like all their teachers had nothing interesting to say. The guys had something else on their minds, though; they were going to be in a fairly big show and possibly get a record deal out of it. The show was Friday night and it was Friday at the end of eighth period…

Jimmy had two pencils and drummed on his desk. He stared off into space deep in thought. The bell rang and almost everyone left the class room except for a few including Jim. Matt got up about to walk out but turned around to Jim, who was still sitting in his desk.

"Jim," Matt said, but got no response from him.

"Jim, come on, class is over!" Matt said, slightly louder.

Matt still didn't get a response so he tried shaking his shoulder.

"What?" Jimmy asked, looking a little lost.

"Come on."

They walked out of the classroom and headed for the quad to meet up with everyone else. Brian stood with an arm around Nikki and talking to Zack. Matt approached them with Jimmy trailing behind him.

"Where were you guys?" Brian asked.

Matt shrugged, "Rev over there was zoned out and would get up."

Jim ignored the comment and asked Nikki, "Yo, Pipsqueak, you still coming tonight?"

Nikki grinned. "Hell yeah, I couldn't miss it!"

"Yes!" Jim picked her up and spun her around.

"God damn, Jim!" Nikki yelled, "Why do you always have to pick me up?"

Jimmy put her down next to Brian and laughed, "Cuz you're mini! You're like a... well, I don't know. But you're super small, it's just fun to pick you up… And your reactions are really funny, too."

"Ah, whatever, Jim," she said clinging to Brian.

Brian pulled his keys out of his pocket. "We're gonna go."

"See ya tonight."

The small amphitheatre was packed wall to wall. Nikki stayed with Val and Leana who were also there to see the guys perform. They had made it through three songs already and they appeared to be having a lot of fun with it. Zacky changed out his electric guitar for a black acoustic as Matt spoke, "This next song was actually by Synyster Gates and it's for my little sister who we lost a little over a month ago."

"Never feared for anything  
Never shamed but never free  
A light that held a broken heart with all that it could

Lived a life so endlessly  
Saw beyond what others see  
I tried to heal your broken heart with all that I could

Will you stay?  
Will you stay away forever?

How do I live without the ones I love?  
Time still turns the pages of the book it's burned  
Place and time always on my mind  
I have so much to say but you're so far away

Plans of what our futures hold  
Foolish lies of growing old  
It seems we're so invincible  
The truth is so cold

A final song, a last request  
A perfect chapter laid to rest  
Now and then I try to find a place in my mind

Where you can stay  
You can stay away forever

How do I live without the ones I love?  
Time still turns the pages of the book it's burned  
Place and time always on my mind

I have so much to say but you're so far away

Sleep tight, I'm not afraid  
The ones we love are here with me  
Lay away a place for me  
Cause as soon as I'm done I'll be on my way  
To live eternally

How do I live without the ones I love?  
Time still turns the pages of the book it's burned  
Place and time always on my mind  
And the light you left remains but it's so hard to stay  
When I have so much to say and you're so far away

I love you  
You were ready  
The pain is strong and urges rise  
But I'll see you  
When He lets me  
Your pain is gone, your hands are untied

So far away  
And I need you to know

So far away  
And I need you to  
I need you to know."

She might have been seeing things, but Nikki was almost sure she saw a tear run down Matt's face from under his aviator glasses.

The week end went faster than anyone wanted. It was already Monday after school, and the school had an unexpected visitor.

A small brunette walked from group to group asking them if they'd seen the girl in her picture. She approached Matt and said, "Sorry to bother you, but have you seen this girl?"

She held up the picture for Matt. In her picture was a short blond girl with bright blue eyes in a Laguna Beach High School cheerleading uniform. Matt looked from the picture to the girl's jacket, a LBHS cheerleader jacket. Matt looked around and called Brian over.

Brian looked puzzled over the picture. "That kinda looks like Nikki…"

The girl squealed. "Ohmigod! Nikki Evans, that's who I'm looking for!" She paused, "Wait... are you Brian?"

She surprised him by hugging him. "Thank you so much for protecting Nikki! She's told me all about you! I'm Dannyy by the way."

"Who the hell is rubbing up on my boyfriend?" said an angry Nikki. Nikki pulled Dannyy by her shoulder.

"Ohmigod!" they screamed in unison.

"Sorry about that, I didn't know it was you…" Nikki said apologetically.

Dannyy laughed, "Well he's _exactly_ as you described him!"

Brian raised an eyebrow at the remark and Nikki blushed.

"So let's see what you did…" Dannyy examine Nikki's hair and makeup, and then pulled on her snakebite. "Is this real?"

"Don't pull! It is real!" Nikki said trying to get out of Dannyy's grip.

Danny put her hands on her hips, "So why haven't you come back to visit? After you moved out here, it seems like you forgot about everyone."

"Well, I've been purposely avoiding the rest of the squad and Cameron, but I do call you pretty often. And, besides, you know I'm not allowed back on campus."

Matt threw in an unwanted question, "And what is it you got expelled for?"

"It's a long story… Nikki was the…" Nikki glared at her to get her to stop.

"As I have told Brian before: there is a time and a place for this story and this isn't that time or place," Nikki said quickly cutting off Dannyy.

That night, Brian invited Nikki over to his house to watch a movie. But neither of them was as sociable as they usually were. Nikki snuggled against Brian's chest as the movie played. He paused the movie.

"I know this is late notice but I was wondering if you wanted to go the Winter Formal with me; it's Friday night," he asked.

Nikki blushed, "I'd love to."

There was a long silence and Brian could see it in her eyes that something was bothering her.

"You know you can tell me anything," he said softly.

They heard the front door open but ignored who it was.

Nikki took a deep breath. "When I said it was a long story, I meant it was a long story… Senior year was supposed to be perfect. And it was until a little over a month ago. I went to parties every weekend and the quarterback was my boyfriend- it's not that we liked each other or anything, we were just together for popularity. I was the most popular girl in school since I was the cheer captain. I had my disobedient squad but I ruled with an iron fist. I chose the squad of ten girls out of the hundred that tried out; so we were supposed to be the best of the best but there was one girl who wasn't. Her name was Chloe and she made more mistakes than all of us combined. She was one of those people who couldn't help but be a klutz and couldn't seem to do anything right. As the captain, it was my job to correct her, and I always tried to hold in the insults but I did let quite a few slip. And then about a month ago, we had to put on a performance for the pep-rally of the first CIF game. It was supposed to be one of the biggest routines of the year, and I got stuck being a flier- something I never was- because no one else was willing to be thrown so high. So, the whole thing went as planned until my high flying. She was supposed to catch me along with two other girls but she didn't. She was distracted by something and let me fall. Twenty feet and she let me drop. You can kind of understand why I was so pissed. I got up, wobbled a little bit because I had a minor concussion from the fall, and told her off in front of the _whole_ school. Then, the next day I got called into the principal's office and they told me that Chloe committed suicide the night before and that I was being held responsible for 'bullying' her. And I was expelled that day."

The front door slammed again Brian glanced back to see who it was and he wasn't sure if he was just seeing things, but he could've sworn he saw Matt run out.

Nikki was now sobbing into Brian's chest, "I didn't mean to! The whole squad knew I had a bad temper and they always ignored it when I got out of hand! But, she decided to take me seriously the one time I didn't want her too! I wish I could go back and stop myself! I was stupid I didn't think that she would do such a thing… I just wish I could take back what I said…"

Brian pulled her into his lap and she continued to cry. "Is that the Chloe from you nightmares?"

"I always dream that she gets her revenge… and there's nothing I can do…"

"What's her last name?" he asked, looking back at the door.

"Sanders, Chloe Sanders…" she winced as if the name was cursed somehow.

"So it was her," he said under his breath. "Chloe was Matt's little sister. She never really got along with her parents and a few days before she died she had a huge fight with Matt. Matt was the only thing keeping her sane. She hated her life and Matt meant the world to her. Their fight put her on the edge and you just pushed her over the edge. It's not your fault; it's wasn't anybody's fault. What's done is done."

"You hate me, now, don't you?" she sobbed, "I killed your friend… I killed Matt's sister!"

"Shhhh, baby… I don't hate you; I never could. And you didn't kill her; she killed herself, it had nothing to do with you. And, besides, we all have our mistakes, no one's perfect. The best thing to do is just move on; we all have, even Matt."

"But, how? She haunts me; how can I just forget her?" she asked.

"Like this…" he whispered and seconds later his lips came down on hers.

The week went by quickly again. Nikki was scrambling to find the prettiest dress and tallest heels she could find in the short time she was given. Dannyy helped her find a short teal dress and four inch heels to match. She chose teal because Dannyy wouldn't let her get it in black; she said that black made her look like she was going to a funeral. Dannyy came over after school to do Nikki's hair and makeup. She curled Nikki's hair and used smokey grey eye shadow, instead of Nikki's usual black eyeliner. Dannyy also force Nikki to take out her snakebites and she covered the piercing holes with makeup.

Dannyy tossed heels to Nikki. "Go look in the mirror," Dannyy commanded.

Nikki did as she said, putting on her heels and looking into the mirror. She saw a side of herself that hadn't been seen by anyone since the day she was expelled. In the mirror was that beautiful cheer leader with curled hair, lots of makeup, a short dress, and high heels; she saw a person who she had forgotten how to be. She gave Dannyy a faint smile and she smiled back.

"You look beautiful, Nick, like always," Danny said, examining her work.

"Nikki, Brian's here!" Nikki's mother called upstairs.

Nikki ran down the stairs as fast as she could without messing anything up, Dannyy followed her with a camera in hand. Brian leaned against the doorway, looking sleek in his tuxedo and his usually spiky hair combed back. He let out a gasp when he saw Nikki coming down the stairs. She hugged him as Dannyy took a few pictures. They waved good bye and drove off in Brian's black Mustang.

"You look beautiful," Brian said sweetly.

"Thanks, Synnie! You're pretty handsome too!" She blushed.

The dance was being held on campus in the large quad. It had been decorated with small white lights, big snowflakes, and fake snow drifts everywhere, like a winter wonder land. A dance floor had been laid out on the grass covering most of the ground. A decorated lighted canopy was over part of it and the DJ was next to it.

Brian led Nikki out on to the dance floor for a slow love song. He looped his arms around her waist and she intwinded her fingers behind his neck.

"Jimmy's going to be mad," Brian warned.

"And why is that?" she asked.

He laughed, "Cuz you're not as short today."

"Shut your mouth, Brian Haner, I'm not that short!" She tried to keep a straight face but she couldn't stop herself from laughing in mid-sentence.

The song ended and Nikki pulled him off the dance floor. She bumped into someone, but as she turned around to apologize she was taken into a bone-crushing hug.

"Pipsqueak!" Jimmy said in his booming voice.

"Let go, Jim, you're crushing me," she said breathlessly.

Jimmy let go of her and then glared down in her direction.

"What?" she asked, completely clueless to why he was mad.

"You're not short enough…" he mumbled.

"Ah, come on, Jim, I'm only 5' 1! Now I can't wear heels that make me 5' 5?" she said playfully.

She turned around to look at Brian but he wasn't there and when she looked back at Jimmy he was gone too. In his place was Matt, who looked a little pissed off.

"Where'd Brian go?" Nikki asked, attempting to look for him but not being able to see over the crowd.

"He went to throw his jacket in his car," Matt muttered.

"Oh, shit, I left my phone in his car and I was supposed to text my mom. Will you come with me to get it? I don't want to go alone…"

Matt smiled strangely, "Of course I'll come."

Matt led her toward the parking lot through a way that he said was a "short cut". They went from being in the crowded bright quad to deserted dark hallways. Nikki knew something was wrong because of the sinister smile plastered across his face. Out of nowhere, he turned on his heels so that he was now facing her and he swung his fist at her, smacking her in the face and making her fall against the wall.

"What was that for?" she cried.

"You killed my sister… You fucking killed my little sister!" he yelled, his voice cracking in between words.

He landed another punch to her face. She slid down the wall and tried to get to her knees.

"I didn't mean to Matt! She knew I had a bad temper, and she dropped me. How else do you expect me to react?" she screamed.

Matt kicked her in the ribs and she fell backwards off her knees.

"You don't fucking get it! You think that she didn't listen to all the shit you said but she did! She listened to every god damn word! Every fucking thing you said to her, she passed on to me! I know how much shit you put her through!" he growled.

He kicked her a second time in ribs in the exact same spot he had before.

She screamed from the pain. "What about you, Matt? Couldn't this be your fault too? She used to come to practice every day complaining about the fights you guys would get into. And then the day of the pep-rally, she said that she had gotten in a huge fight with you the night before. She was too busy thinking about your fight to pay attention to when she was supposed to catch me. So doesn't that mean this is your fault, Matt?"

Matt was speechless. He was taken aback by what Nikki had said. It was true; it sounded believable and made sense. But he didn't want to believe it; he didn't want to admit that it could've been his fault.

She was about to speak again and add more to what she had just said but he kicked her in the ribs a third time to stop her.

"Brian!" she screamed breathlessly, "Help me, Brian!"

"Shut up, bitch!" Matt kicked her in the collarbone so that she fell back and was now lying on her back. She'd somehow managed to keep her heels on this whole time, so she stuck one of her legs straight up to stop him from leaning over to punch her. He leaned over and balanced on her heel; her heel pressed into his stomach. She screamed for Brian again because she knew time she was running out. She couldn't hold Matt back much longer. Her leg had given weigh just enough for Matt to land a solid punch to the same spot that she'd been hit by the jock weeks before.

Matt was suddenly tackled to the ground by Jimmy. Matt threw Jim off of him and tried to hit Nikki again but was quickly decked by Brian. Jim grabbed Matt's arms and pulled them back so he was restrained from doing anything more destructive. Brian kneeled by Nikki and he pulled her into his lap.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Matt?" Brian yelled.

"She killed my sister, Gates! She killed Chloe, my little Chloe!" Matt said falling to his knees.

"How the hell do you know that?" Jimmy asked while still keeping a close eye on him.

"I went over to your house on Monday night and I heard her tell you the story… You know what she did; you know that she killed Chloe!" Matt said in tears. "How can you act so calm about this, Brian? Chloe was your girlfriend! You loved her, didn't you? How can you stand to be with the kill that killed our Chloe!"

"Nikki didn't kill Chloe, Matt… Chloe killed herself. There's nothing any of could do about it. We all saw it coming, but none of us tried to do anything about it. What's done is done, it's time to move on. You don't need revenge for someone who shouldn't be avenged. She's gone, Matt. Just face it already. Nothing can bring her back," Brian said forcefully.

Matt stared at the ground, letting his tears fall without any resistance, and whispered, "I just want her back… I want Chloe back…" He made a fist and punched the tile floor. "It's my fault she's gone. I just want her back… I wish there was some way to change everything."

"We know one thing for sure is that beating up Nikki isn't the solution," Jimmy added.

Without another word, Jim pulled Matt to his feet and pushed him out of the hallway.

"What hurts, baby?" Brian asked softly.

Nikki simply groaned and waved a hand over her ribs. Brian was hesitant to help, not knowing what to do. He ran his fingers over her ribs and she let out a whimper.

"We should probably get you to the hospital… Your ribs might be broken…" he said softly.

"No, I'm fine," she said quickly and trying to sit up but falling back in pain, "I just wanna go home…"

Brian stared down at her, raising a concerned eyebrow. "B-but…"

"I'm serious, Brian, I just want to go home…"

Brian lifted her up as gently as he could, avoiding her sensitive ribs but still making sure not to drop her. He walked in silence, not really sure what to say. Several minutes later, they arrived at Brian's car. He lowered her into the passenger seat and quickly jumped into the driver's seat.

She took a shallow breath and said, "Since I answered all of your questions, I want you to answer one of mine… Why is it that you take Chloe's death so lightly if she was your girlfriend? You knew that it what I did even before I told you, so why are you still with me? Shouldn't you hate me?"

Brian stared down at the steering wheel, afraid of catching her gaze, and let the keys fall into his lap. "Chloe and I were together for a while but we had a big fight about her being depressed all the time which resulted in us breaking up. And then she had that fight with Matt, so we all saw it coming. To tell you the truth, I didn't know what you did. I thought about it when I heard you talking in your sleep but I suddenly couldn't remember what school Chloe went to. I'd blocked her out of my mind. I wrote _So Far Away_ as my way of letting go. 'I have so much to say but you're so far away,' it's my way of saying I'm sorry for everything. I want to tell her that but there's no way I can... All the guys have moved on, except for Matt. I thought he had by the way he'd been acting lately but I guess not. It's true, I do miss her, but that's normal when you lose someone. You're going to miss them at least a little bit. But there's no way in hell I could hate you…"

Nikki took a deep breath, wincing from the pain that shot her ribs, and whispered, "I love you, Brian…"

"I love you too…"

Author's Note: For those who do not know the Band Members very well. Matt does not have a young sister named Chloe. She is just an OC who i made up.


End file.
